In many wireless networks, a mobile station associates with an access point for network communications. As the mobile station changes its location, the mobile station may transition (i.e., roam) between different access points to maintain continuous communications with the network. One issue with transitioning between access points is that transitions need to be completed quickly to meet the quality of service (QoS) level requirements of certain traffic flows. For example, when a mobile station is communicating voice traffic, such as voice over internet protocol (VoIP) traffic, transitions between access points should be completed within approximately 50 milliseconds to prevent the user from hearing clicks or experiencing a noticeable delay. Similar requirements apply to video traffic. In some networks, transitions should be completed within approximately 200 milliseconds to prevent a loss of network communications (e.g., dropped call).
Thus, there are general needs for communication devices and methods that facilitate fast roaming in wireless networks. There are also general needs for communication devices and methods that meet QoS requirements for fast roaming in wireless networks when communicating real-time traffic, such as voice or video traffic.